This invention relates to thrust bearing assemblies and in particular to such assemblies including a carrier member in which is supported a circular array of bearing members.
In a first known type of thrust bearing assembly, a circular array of thrust pads is supported in a carrier member to absorb axial loads, said carrier member having an annular slot formed therein. Each thrust pad is provided with a pair of opposed surfaces of curvatures conforming exactly with those of the inner and outer sides of the annular slot respectively and spaced apart by the width of said slot, whereby, on location of a thrust pad in the slot, said pad is accurately positioned relative to the carrier member with the bearing surface thereof available to receive associated loads thereon.
With such an arrangement it will be appreciated that, for a carrier member with an annular slot of any given curvature, particular, accurately machined thrust pads will be required, with the result that large stocks of thrust pads with differently curved guide surfaces have to be kept to replace as necessary worn pads on the large range of differently sized thrust bearing assemblies that currently exist.
In a further known type of bearing assembly, a circular array of thrust pads is again supported in a carrier member to absorb axial loads, but the rear surface of each thrust pad engages with, to be supported by, a pair of guide members, which guide members themselves are received within, to be located by, an annular slot formed in a carrier member substantially as detailed for the thrust pads of the above described assembly.
In such assemblies it is well-established practice to support the thrust pads on a self-levelling system for spreading the applied axial load more evenly over the plurality of thrust pads. Such a self-levelling system may typically comprise a circular array of supporting levers each of which co-operates with an associated pair of guide members, one to each side of and below the lever. The guide members, as mentioned above, are located in an annular slot formed in the associated carrier member, with the radially inner and outer surfaces of said guide members having curvatures conforming exactly with those of the inner and outer sides respectively of the slot.
Thus, again, carrier members with given slot curvatures require particular guide members.
Clearly it would be desirable if a universal bearing member, in the first example of the prior art a universal thrust pad and in the further example of the prior art a universal guide member, appropriate to bearing assemblies having carrier members provided with annular slots with a range of curvatures could be provided.